Chorizanthe xanti
Encyclopedia
Chorizanthe xanti is a species of flowering plant in the buckwheat family
known by the common name Riverside spineflower. It is endemic to California
, where it grows in several of the mountain ranges from the Sierra Nevada to the Southern California
Transverse Ranges
in forest, woodland, and scrub habitats.
is a loose cluster of flowers, each flower surrounded by six reddish, curly-haired bract
s tipped with hooked awns. The flower is up to 6 millimeters wide and pink to red in color. There are two varieties of this species.
The rarer, var. leucotheca, is known only from the San Jacinto
and San Bernardino Mountains
. It has a much more thickly woolly inflorescence than the more common variety.
Polygonaceae
Polygonaceae is a family of flowering plants known informally as the "knotweed family" or "smartweed family"— "buckwheat family" in the United States. The name is based on the genus Polygonum and was first used by Antoine Laurent de Jussieu in 1789 in his book, Genera Plantarum. The name refers...
known by the common name Riverside spineflower. It is endemic to California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, where it grows in several of the mountain ranges from the Sierra Nevada to the Southern California
Southern California
Southern California is a megaregion, or megapolitan area, in the southern area of the U.S. state of California. Large urban areas include Greater Los Angeles and Greater San Diego. The urban area stretches along the coast from Ventura through the Southland and Inland Empire to San Diego...
Transverse Ranges
Transverse Ranges
The Transverse Ranges are a group of mountain ranges of southern California, in the Pacific Coast Ranges physiographic region that runs along the Pacific coast from Alaska to Mexico in North America. The Transverse Ranges begin at the southern end of the California Coast Ranges and lie between...
in forest, woodland, and scrub habitats.
Description
Chorizanthe xanti is generally erect in form, reaching up to about 30 centimeters in height, and reddish in color and coated in thin to dense hairs. The inflorescenceInflorescence
An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Strictly, it is the part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed and which is accordingly modified...
is a loose cluster of flowers, each flower surrounded by six reddish, curly-haired bract
Bract
In botany, a bract is a modified or specialized leaf, especially one associated with a reproductive structure such as a flower, inflorescence axis, or cone scale. Bracts are often different from foliage leaves. They may be smaller, larger, or of a different color, shape, or texture...
s tipped with hooked awns. The flower is up to 6 millimeters wide and pink to red in color. There are two varieties of this species.
The rarer, var. leucotheca, is known only from the San Jacinto
San Jacinto Mountains
The San Jacinto Mountains are a mountain range east of Los Angeles in southern California in the United States. The mountains are named for Saint Hyacinth . The Pacific Crest Trail runs along the spine of the range.The range extends for approximately from the San Bernardino Mountains southeast to...
and San Bernardino Mountains
San Bernardino Mountains
The San Bernardino Mountains are a short transverse mountain range north and east of San Bernardino in Southern California in the United States. The mountains run for approximately 60 miles east-west on the southern edge of the Mojave Desert in southwestern San Bernardino County, north of the...
. It has a much more thickly woolly inflorescence than the more common variety.